EUROPE 2017, May/June

In May and half of June 2017, Nida and I had a wonderful tour of Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, and finally back to Germany. In late May, I performed a solo concert in Wuerzburg, Germany, to start things off, and another gig with a band in Heidelberg.  Nida and I toured a little before and after each gig.

After a few days in Germany, we drove past the Zugspitz (the highest mountain in Germany), down  through Austria, to the South Tirol area of Northern Italy in the Brenner pass. There I performed at a beautiful hotel in the ancient town of Chiusa. During the night, I invited some Tirolean performers up to the stage area for some fun Germanic music.

We enjoyed northern Italy for a few days then made our way south and west into France, past Nice, into Provence. I was invited to perform at "Autour Du Banjo", an annual banjo festival in St. Gervasy, a town located between Avignon and Nimes, France. There is a famous Roman arena found in Nimes, a smaller copy of the Coliseum in Rome. Avignon has its popular Pont Du Gard Roman aqueduct as well as the partial "Pont D'Avignon":

 I had the honor of being named the "Godfather" of this festival! My French title was the "Parrain" of the gathering. See the poster and newspaper article - if you can read French.

Aside from playing 2 concerts and offering lessons, my responsibility was to meet the other performers and bands and to play a song or two with them. There was such a variety of music that it was an interesting and really enjoyable weekend, especially when Nida and I were being hosted so generously by the organizers, Marie-Ange Parere and her husband Patrice. I had my own banjo with me but I borrowed Patrice's guitar for the weekend. I was able to borrow the mandolin from someone else, luckily.
The prevailing mood was relaxed and convivial - typical, I suppose, of the Provencal region. The following photos show me playing with a big jazz band, a bluegrass band, a classic 5-string ragtime band (father and son) , a smaller jazz band, as well as my own appearances with banjo, guitar, and mandolin.

The final evening of the Autour Du Banjo festival found some of us jamming outdoors...great fun!

After we bade adieu to St. Gervasy, Nida and I toured France and Switzerland, on our way back to Germany.  There I enjoyed playing with a band on a Rhine tour boat, with perfect weather and a full moon to finish the evening. On the following day, I played with some other fellows near the Heidelberg area. It was a great musical European visit!

Tim entertaining at the American Banjo Museum for Roy Clark ceremony

AMERICAN BANJO MUSEUM TO HONOR ROY CLARK WITH SPECIAL EXHIBITION: Tim Allan entertaining after the ceremony

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (March 31, 2017) –  On April 6, 2017, Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Clark was honored with his own exhibit at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City. The exhibit, titled America’s Super Picker - Roy Clark, opened on April 6, 2017 and ran through the end of March 2018.

“The banjo is about as Americana as you can get,” Clark says. “It’s such an honor to have an exhibition highlighting my career in the American Banjo Museum.”

The exhibit featured artifacts from the entirety of his musical career including photographs from his personal collection. Clark was also recently inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.

On Thursday, April 6, beginning at 5:00pm Clark participated in a brief press conference, followed by a VIP Meet and Greets with American Banjo Museum Board members and special guests. In addition, a ceremonial opening with brief speeches by American Banjo Museum officers and comments from Clark  took place immediately following the press conference. The night  also included entertainment from another ABM Hall of Fame member, Tim Allan.

For more information, visit www.americanbanjomuseum.com

About Roy Clark:

Roy Clark is one of the top entertainers ever in country music, and he has the CMA and ACM awards to prove it. Despite all of the well-deserved accolades for the Country Music Hall of Fame member, Clark remains a household name after two decades of spreading the gospel of country music from Kornfield Kounty into the living rooms of America. Clark co-hosted HEE HAW for more than two decades after it premiered on June 15, 1969. HEE HAW became one of the longest-running shows in syndication (1971–1992). In addition to his television triumphs, Clark has headlined some of the world's most prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Grand Palace in Brussels and the Rossiya Theatre in Moscow. A partial list of his many awards include the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, Academy of Country Music’s Comedy Act of the Year and a Grammy for "Alabama Jubilee." Clark became a Grand Ole Opry member in 1987. He was also the first country music artist to guest host Johnny Carson's “Tonight Show.” Clark and wife Barbara live in Oklahoma where he finds time to fish, fly his airplanes and ride motorcycles.

About The American Banjo Museum:

The American Banjo Museum is a world-class 21,000 square foot facility honoring the rich history, vibrant spirit and unlimited future of the banjo. The museum’s collection contains more than 400 instruments, recordings, film, video, printed music, instructional materials, ephemera and memorabilia associated with the banjo. The museum contains the largest collection in the world of banjos on public display. Galleries include replicas of primitive banjos developed by African slaves, actual Minstrel Age instruments from mid-19th century, Classic Era banjos from the late 1800s and early 1900s, post WWII instruments used in bluegrass, folk and world music. Much of the museum’s core collection is ornately decorated banjos made in America during the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 30s.The museum was founded as a non-profit organization in 1998 by Midwest City attorney, Brady Hunt and Indiana industrialist, Jack Canine under its previous name, The National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum. Canine, a banjo player and enthusiast, stated his belief that preserving and promoting the history of the banjo, America’s adopted native musical instrument, is an important mission for future generations.